GB2232958A

GB2232958A - Toilet paper holder with a rotatable cover plate

Info

Publication number: GB2232958A
Application number: GB9010054A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Dye-Chung Hu
Original assignee: HU DYE CHUNG
Current assignee: HU DYE CHUNG
Priority date: 1989-05-04
Filing date: 1990-05-04
Publication date: 1991-01-02
Also published as: GB9010054D0; US4913364A

Description

1 1 TOILET PAPER HOLDER WITH A ROTATABLE COVER PLATE

SPECIFICATION

Thisinvention relates to a toilet paper holder, and more particularly to a toilet paper holder including a cover plate rotatable to open the holder so that a roll of toilet paper can be wound on a reel.

One commonly used toilet paper holder includes a housing to be mounted on a wall and carrying a toilet paper reel, and a hinged cover having a serrated edge to cut the toilet paper. Such a toilet paper holder suffers from the following disadvantages: (1) when one wishes to take a piece of paper from the roll of paper, one must use one hand to depress the cover plate and the other hand to cut the paper; (2) in many cases the paper cannot be cut of f properly since the paper cannot be prevented f rom unreeling; and (3) sometimes, the cover plate with the serrated edge. when lifted for the replacement of a roll of paper, may fall down and hurt the hand of the user. 25 It is an object of this invention to provide a toilet paper holder for carrying a roll of toilet paper which can be cut off using one hand only. It is another object of this invention to provide a toilet paper holder for carrying a roll of toilet paper which can be cut off properly without unreeling.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a toilet paper holder including a rotatable cover plate having serrated edges which cannot hurt the userls hand while a roll of paper is being replaced.

According to this invention, a toilet paper holder 2 comprises a U-shaped housing having a base mounting segment and two side segments and open at the top, front and bottom, said base mounting segment defining an abutment stop, and said side segments having opposed and open-ended vertical slide slots formed therein; a toilet paper reel having two ends which are slidably received in said slide slots; and a generally L-shaped cover plate having a generally horizontal portion and a generally vertical portion and hinged to front end portions of said side segments at a junction between said generally horizontal portion and said generally vertical portion so as to cover said top and said front of said housing with said generally horizontal portion and said generally vertical portion, said generally horizontal portion of said cover"plate having a rear end which rests on said abutment stop so that said rear end cannot drop downwards, said generally vertical portion of said cover plate having a forked lower end portion which includes a serrated inner edge and a serrated outer edge, whereby, when said forked lower end portion of said cover plate is rotated so as to open said top of said housing, said generally vertical portion of said cover plate automatically pushes said reel to slide upwards along said slide slots so that a roll of toilet paper can be mounted on said reel, and when said cover plate is engaged with said abutment stop an end piece of a roll of toilet paper can be pulled downwards out of said housing and then pulled forwards so as to be cut by said forked lower end portion of said cover plate.

The generally horizontal portion of the cover plate preferably includes a press plate hinged thereto at one end of the press plate. The other end of the press plate rests on the toilet paper in front of the slide slots so as to limit undesirable unreeling of toilet 3 paper during cutting.

Other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a toilet paper holder according to this invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating how to cut a piece of toilet paper off the roll in accordance with this invention; and Fig. 3 is a schematic view illustrating how to mount a roll of toilet paper on a reel in accordance with this invention.

Referring first to Pigs. 1 and 2, a toilet-paper holder in accordance with the invention includes a generally U-shaped housing 1, a toilet paper reel 2, a generally L-shaped cover plate 3 and a press plate 4.

The housing 1 has a base mounting segment A and two side segments B and is open at the top, front and bottom sides thereof. The side segments B have opposed and open-ended vertical slide slots 11 formed in the upper end portions of the inner surfaces thereof, and opposed holes 12 formed in the front end portions of the side segments B. The base mounting segment A has a high outer wall portion 13a and a lower inner wall portion 13b integrally formed with and parallel to the outer wall portion. The reel 2 has its two ends received slidably in the slide slots 11 of the side segments B. A roll of toilet paper 5 is mounted on the reel 2.

The cover plate 3 has a generally horizontal portion 3h and a generally vertical portion 3v having a forked lower end portion 31 which includes a serrated inner edge 311 and a serrated outer edge 312.Two 4 pivot pins 32 are provided on the side surfaces of the cover plate 3 between the generally horizontal portion 3h and the generally vertical portion 3v and are engaged rotatably with the holes 12 of the side segments B. Two lugs 33 are provided on the underside of the generally horizontal portion 3h and have aligned holes 331 through which pivot pins 41 of the press plate 4 are passed. The top and front sides of the housing 1 are sealed by the generally horizontal portion 3h and the generally vertical portion 3v of the cover plate 3. The generally horizontal portion 3h has a rear end which rests on the upper end of the. lower wall portion 13b so that the rear end cannot turn down. The free end of the press plate 4 rests on the toilet paper 5 in front of the slide slots 11 so as to limit the undesirable unreeling of the toilet paper 5 during cutting.

Because the cover plate 3 normally abuts against the upper end of the lower wall portion 13b, when an end piece of toilet paper 5 is pulled downwards out of the housing the cover plate 3 cannot rotate and the toilet paper 5 can be pulled forward so as to be cut by the f orked lower end portion 31 of the cover plate 3, as illustrated in Fig.2.

Ref erring to Fig. 3. when the f orked lower end 31 of the cover plate 3 is pushed down and in so as to rotate the cover plate and open the top side of the housing 1, the generally vertical portion 3v of the cover plate 3 automatically pushes the reel 2 to cause it to slide upwards along the slide slots 11 so that the toilet paper 5 can be replaced.

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Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A toilet paper holder comprising:

a U-shaped housing having a base mounting segment and two side segments and open at the top, f ront and bottom, said base mounting segment defining an abutment stop, and said side segments having opposed and openended vertical slide slots formed therein; a toilet paper reel having two ends which are slidably received in said slide slots; and a generally L-shaped cover plate having a generally horizontal portion and a generally vertical portion and hinged to front end portions of said side segments at a junction between said generally horizontal portion and said generally vertical portion so as to cover said top and said front of said housing with said generally horizontal portion and said generally vertical portiont said generally horizontal portion of said cover plate having a rear end which rests on said abutment stop so that said rear end cannot drop downwards, said generally vertical portion of said cover plate having a forked lower end portion which includes a serrated inner edge and a serrated outer edge, whereby, when said forked lower end portion of said cover plate is rotated so as to open said top of said housing, said generally vertical portion of said cover plate automatically pushes said reel to slide upwards along said slide slots so that a roll of toilet paper can be mounted on said reel, and When said cover plate is engaged with said a butment stop an end piece of a roll of toilet paper can be pulled downwards out of said housing and then pulled forwards so as to be cut by said forked lower end portion of said cover plate.

2. A toilet paper holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein said generally horizontal portion of said cover plate includes a press plate hinged thereto at one end 4 6 of said press plate, the other end of said press plate resting on said toilet paper in front of said slide slots so as to limit undesirable unreeling of said toilet paper during cutting.

3. A toilet paper holder as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the base mounting segment has integral inner and outer walls of different heights to define said abutment stop.

4. A toilet paper holder as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the serrated inner edge comprises a series of sharp teeth, or needles, or protuberances, or includes a rough edge.

5. A toilet paper holder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Published 1990 at The Patent Office. State House,66 71 High Holborn. LondonWC1R4TP.Further copies maybe obtained from The Patent Office. Sales Branch, St Mary Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd, St Mary Cray, Kent. Con. 1'87